The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was established by NLC Decree 293 of October 10, 1968 amended by NLCD 329 of 1969, and re-established in its present form by CSIR Act 521 on November 26, 1996. The genesis of the council however, dates back to the erstwhile National Research Council (NRC), which was established by the government in August 1958 to organize and coordinate

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and medieval world. The ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. In 1963, the NRC merged with the former Ghana Academy of Sciences, a statutory

learned society A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

. Following a review in 1966, the academy was reconstituted into, essentially, its original component bodies, namely a national research organization redesignated the CSIR and a learned Society, designated the

Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is a learned society for the arts and sciences based in Accra, Ghana. The institution was founded in November 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination ...

. The distinctive features of the 1996 Act are the emphasis accorded

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

concerns, and the introduction of market principles into the council's operations through the

commercialization Commercialisation or commercialization is the process of introducing a new product or production method into commerce—making it available on the market. The term often connotes especially entry into the mass market (as opposed to entry into e ...

of research. In this connection, the council is expected to generate part of its income through the sale of its products and services, and to institute a system of contract research.

Mandate

The CSIR is mandated to perform the following functions among others: *To pursue the implementation of

government policies Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and problematic social issues, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. T ...

on scientific research and development; *To advise the sector Minister on scientific and technological advances likely to be of importance to national development; *To encourage coordinated employment of scientific research for the management, utilization and conservation of the natural resources of

in the interest of development; *To encourage in the

national interest The national interest is a sovereign state's goals and ambitions – be they economic, military, cultural, or otherwise – taken to be the aim of its government. Etymology The Italian phrase ''ragione degli stati'' was first used by Giovanni de ...

scientific and industrial research of importance for development of

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, environment,

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

and other

service sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...

s and to this end to encourage close linkages with the productive sectors of the

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

; *To coordinate all aspects of scientific research in the country and to ensure that the council, the

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

s of the council and other organizations engaged in research in Ghana, coordinate and cooperate in their research efforts; *To exercise control over the research institutes and projects of the council and to have power after consultation with the Minister to create, reconstitute, merge or dissolve any institute, centre, unit or project of the council; *To review, monitor and periodically evaluate the work of the institutes administered by the council in order to ensure that research being carried out by the institute directly benefits identified sectors of the economy and is within the national priorities; * To institute a system of contract research to ensure that research being carried out in the council is relevant and cost-effective; * To encourage and promote the commercialization of research results; * To undertake or collaborate in the collation,

publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Convention, articl ...

and dissemination of the results of research and other useful technical information; * To organize and control services and facilities available to the council and generally to manage the properties of the council; *To coordinate

human resource development Training and development involves improving the effectiveness of organizations and the individuals and teams within them. Training may be viewed as being related to immediate changes in effectiveness via organized instruction, while development ...

in institutes of the council and to encourage the training of scientific personnel and research workers through the provision of grants and

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

ships; * To cooperate and liaise with international and local bodies and organizations, in particular, the Universities and the

on matters of research; and *To perform such other functions as may be determined by the Minister.

Vision

* Using the transforming power of S&T for wealth creation.

Mission

*The CSIR is to become the force for accelerated

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

and

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

of Ghana through examining, exploring and creating Science and Technology catalysts for public and private wealth creation.

Thematic areas of research

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has seven thematic areas; namely the Science and People, Electronics and ICT, Biomedical and Public Health, Energy and Petroleum, Material Science Manufacturing, Climate Change Environmental Conservation Green Technology and Food Security and Poverty Reduction

Structure and organization

;The council The statutory Governing Council is made up of a chairman and 20 members. They/these include representatives of selected Ministries (Food and Agriculture), Health, Trade and Industries, Environment, Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation the Universities, various production and commercial associations (Mines, Industry, Commerce, Engineers), Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), National Development Planning Commission, CSIR Directors, Senior Staff of CSIR, among others. The CSIR Act requires that 40 per cent of the membership of the council be drawn from the private sector. The council is answerable to the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST). ;Director-general The Director-General is the Chief Executive of the CSIR. Functions of the Director-General include:

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an or ...

issues; co-ordination; monitoring & evaluation; external relations including technical aid scheme and technical agreement;

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

and

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

and CSIR relations. ;Deputy director-general The Deputy Director-General is responsible to the Director-General for overseeing the development and execution of the

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

activities of the thirteen (13) institutes of the CSIR as well as the council's programmes and projects; assists the Director- General in setting the research priorities of the council in line with Government policy and acts for the Director General in his/her absence. ;Director of administration The Director of Administration is responsible to the Director-General for oversight/day-to-day administration of the Head Office including authorization of administrative

expenditure An expense is an item requiring an outflow of money, or any form of fortune in general, to another person or group as payment for an item, service, or other category of costs. For a tenant, rent is an expense. For students or parents, tuition i ...

remuneration Remuneration is the pay or other financial compensation provided in exchange for an employee's ''services performed'' (not to be confused with giving (away), or donating, or the act of providing to). Remuneration is one component of reward managem ...

management; Council matters including secretaryship to Council;

human resource management Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the effective and efficient management of people in a company or organization such that they help their business gain a competitive advantage. It is designed to maximize e ...

of the CSIR; Communication of policies to Institutes; and monitoring policy implementation. ;Director of finance The Director of Finance is to advise the Director-General on all matters relating to Finance and Accounting; to advise the Directors of the Institutes of the council on Financial and Accounting matters; advise on the preparation and submission of Annual, Personnel Emolument, Administrative Service and Development Estimates of the Institutes of the council; and Preparations of Annual Consolidated Accounts and Balance Sheet of the council after all the Accounts of the Institutes have been audited by their external Auditors. ;Director of commercialization The Director of Commercialization is to advise the Director-General on all issues relating to commercialization; to oversee all operations of Commercialization and Information Divisions of the institutes (CIDs) in terms of strategy development and implementation; oversee marketing orientation and training programmes; supervise the activities of Marketing Officers/Public Relations Officers; provision of pricing and costing information;

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

and promotion;

marketing research Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of qualitative data, qualitative and quantitative data, quantitative data about issues relating to marketing products and services. The goal is to identify and assess how chan ...

and information;

corporate image A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as "born out of st ...

building and S&T popularization. ;Director of audit The Director of Audit is to establish policies for

auditing An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon." Auditing al ...

activity and direct/technical and administrative functions. Develop and execute comprehensive audit programmes to evaluate internal controls over all the institute's activities; Coordinate audit planning and other internal audit activities, and liaises with Council's external auditors. ;Legal officer The Legal Officer is responsible to the Director-General for all legal and quasi-legal matters relating to the rights and obligations of the council; advising the Directors of the council on all legal and quasi-legal matters in respect of rights, obligations and on matters relating to labour disputes and discipline; Revising existing rules and regulations; drafting contracts; writing of legal opinion for the Director-General and Directors of various Institutes; advising on

patent law A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

s; handling court cases on behalf of the council before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice; and Liaising with the council's external

Solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

Institutes of the council

External solicitor

Wontumi, Quist and Co.

Collaboration

Through collaboration with international scientific organizations, CSIR has become the research hub that houses various scientific research organizations including; * Ghana Office - International Water Management Institute (IWMI) * Africa Regional Office- The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) * International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and * Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

References

External links

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ghana.

CSIR - Crops Research Institute, Ghana.

MOEST
* Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (Ghana) *

GHANA ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) is the state organization in Ghana involved with surveillance of the use of nuclear energy in Ghana. It is similar in aim to the Ghana Nuclear Society (GNS), with the difference being that the GNS is a ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Council For Scientific And Industrial Research- Ghana Scientific organisations based in Ghana